Simeon | |
|---|---|
 Simeon the Godreceiver byAlexei Yegorov, 1830s–40s | |
| Prophet Righteous, God-Receiver | |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodox Church Catholic Church Anglican Communion Lutheranism |
| Majorshrine | Church of St. Simeon inZadar,Croatia |
| Feast | 3 February 8 October |
| Attributes | Depicted as an elderly man, sometimes vested as aJewish priest, often holding theinfant Jesus |
| Patronage | Zadar,Croatia |
Simeon (Greek:Συμεών) at theTemple is the "just and devout" man ofJerusalem who, according toLuke 2 (Luke 2:25–35), metMary,Joseph, andJesus as they entered theTemple to fulfill therequirements of the Law of Moses on the 40th day from Jesus' birth, i.e. thepresentation of Jesus at the Temple.
According to the Biblical account, theHoly Spirit visited Simeon and revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Christ of God. Upon taking Jesus into his arms, he uttered a prayer which is still usedliturgically as the LatinNunc dimittis in theCatholic Church and other Christian churches, and gave a prophecy alluding to theCrucifixion of Jesus.
Some Christian traditions commemorate this meeting on 2 February as the feast ofCandlemas, or, more formally, the Presentation of the Lord, the Meeting of the Lord, or the Purification of the Virgin (Mary). His prophecy is involved in the devotion toMary asOur Lady of Sorrows. Simeon is venerated as asaint in the Catholic Church,Lutheranism,Anglican Communion,Eastern Orthodox Church andOriental Orthodoxy. Hisfeast is commemorated on 3 February in the revisedRoman Martyrology of the Catholic Church and on 16 February (Julian Calendar) in theSerbian Orthodox Church.[1]
The sole mention in the New Testament of Simeon is thus:
Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed." -Luke 2:25–35,RSV-2CE
Some writers have identified this Simeon withShimon ben Hillel, although Hillel was not a priest.[2] James F. Driscoll, writing in theCatholic Encyclopedia, dismisses this as "untrustworthy legends".[3]
The Bible is silent about Simeon's age at this point, though he is generally assumed (for example byIan Howard Marshall, who refers to him as an "old man")[6] to have been elderly.
Orthodox tradition says that he was one of the seventy scholars who translated the Hebrew Scriptures into the Septuagint, and that he translatedIsaiah 7:14 as saying "a young woman" would conceive rather than "a virgin" due to his disbelief. Because of this, a divine being told him he would live to see the fulfillment of this prophecy. When he was around 360 years old, he saw Jesus, uttered the benediction and died.[7][8]
Sometime between 565 and 578 AD, a body believed to be that of Simeon wastranslated from Syria orJerusalem toConstantinople.[9] Sometime around theSiege of Constantinople (1203) the relics were seized and shipped toVenice; however, a storm forced the ship to put in to the port ofZadar on the Dalmatian coast. The relics were first placed in theVelika Gospa (Church of the Virgin) and then later translated to the Church of St. Stephen, which became known as the Sanctuary of St. Simeon the Godbearer. Simeon is one of the four patron saints ofZadar; his feast day is celebrated on 8 October. In October 2010,ArchbishopŽelimir Puljić of Zadar conveyed a small silver reliquary containing some of Simeon's relics to Archbishop Theofylactus ofJordan, representingTheophilos III, theGreek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, for the monastery of St. Simeon the Godbearer inJerusalem.[10]
The events in the life of Simeon the Righteous are observed on both 2 and 3 February.[citation needed] The observances of the first day memorialize the act ofMary undergoing an act of ritual purification and presenting Jesus, her child, to the Temple, afeast known as thePresentation of Jesus at the Temple. Because this day focuses on Jesus and Mary, the observation of 3 February is specific to Simeon, who was allowed to die after seeing theChrist born of a virgin.
UnderMosaic law, a mother who had given birth to a man-child was considered unclean for seven days; moreover she was to remain for three and 30 days "in the blood of her purification", for a total of 40 days. The ChristianFeast of the Purification therefore corresponds to the day on which Mary, according toJewish law (seeLeviticus 12:2–8), should have attended a ceremony of ritual purification. TheGospel of Luke2:22–39 relates that Mary was purified according to the religious law, after which Jesus was presented in the Temple inJerusalem. This explains the formal names of the feast.
In theliturgy ofEvening Prayer in theAnglican Communion, Anglicans recite theNunc dimittis or sing it in Evensong in the canticle the Song of Simeon, traditionally every evening. The liturgical hour ofCompline of theCatholic Church and ofVespers in Orthodoxy also use it. Many notable composers have set theNunc dimittis to music, e.g. the (All-Night Vigil ofRachmaninoff).
The feast of 2 February is often known as "Candlemas" because, in honor of the ritual purification of the Virgin Mary,candles ofbeeswax, which will be used for the whole liturgical year, are brought into a church and blessed. In theCatholic Church the Presentation is commemorated as the fourth Joyful Mystery of theRosary. In theChurch of England the Presentation of Christ in the Temple is aprincipal feast. In theEastern Orthodox Church it is one of the twelveGreat Feasts.
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This feast day has a number of different names:
Simeon the Righteous is commemorated in his own right on 3 February. In theAnglican Communion Simeon is not venerated with a festal observance, and 3 February is designated to recognizeBlaise, Bishop of Sebastea, or in modern calendars,Saint Anskar (801–865), a missionary,Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, and the first Bishop inSweden in 864.
In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, Simeon is commemorated withAnna the Prophetess on 3 February on theFeast of the Holy and Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess.
While both the Catholic Church and Orthodox Church agree on the date ofCandlemas as the 40th day afterChristmas, in accordance with theMosaic Law, the difference in the marking of Christmas on 25 December resulted from a theological dispute on the replacement by theGregorian calendar of the olderJulian calendar. 25 December currently occurs 13 days later on the Julian calendar than on the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian revision of the calendar occurred in 1582, well after theGreat Schism between the Eastern and Western Christian churches in 1054. Consequently, many Orthodox Christians celebrate the feast of Saint Simeon on 16 February. As mentioned above, theEastern Orthodox Church celebrates Saint Simeon on the day after the Feast of the Presentation, i.e. 3 February. However, for those churches that use the Julian calendar, 3 February is on 16 February of the modern Gregorian calendar.
TheArmenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Nativity of Christ on 6 January, and so its celebration of the Presentation, which its denominatesThe Coming of the Son of God into the Temple, is on 14 February.
On 1 December occurs commemoration of his,James andZacharias relics translation in 351, and 25 May is commemoration of their relics discover also in 351.[11]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Holy Simeon".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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